Starcross'd
by Chatterpie
Summary: They would always find each other. Even in a different life. It's an AU. They are obligatory, after all. RiSo pairing later on, rating for one stoner's foul mouth.


It's not essential, but I'd recommend reading See Me before this, since it details the nightmare.

* * *

Riku slammed into wakefulness, gasping for air. For a second he lay still as tremors racked his body, then he slid a hand out from under the covers, fingers searching the floor for a discarded pack of cigarettes. Finding them, he pulled one out and held it between his lips while he rummaged for a lighter.

_Shit, not this again, _he thought, lighting up and inhaling deepy. The slight burn worming its way down his throat did a lot to calm his nerves, and he sat up, leaning against the wall and tilting his head back. He let out a soft, mocking laugh.

"Stupid," he muttered. It was so fucking _stupid, _getting worked up over a nightmare he couldn't even remember. He didn't even know for sure that it was the same dream, really, but the tightness in his chest and the prickle behind his eyes was the same every damn time.

Riku took another deep inhalation from his cigarette, holding the smoke in until his lungs burned, then letting it out in a slow breath. That was much better. Slipping out of bed and yanking on some jeans, he trudged into the kitchen and started to make himself a cup of coffee, glancing at the time again.

Before the kettle had even had chance to boil, the door across from his slammed open, and a snarling man appeared in the doorway, a single, amber eye slitted and glaring at him, the other covered with a black eyepatch.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Uh, I'm making coffee, moron," Riku replied, completely unpreturbed.

"At three in the FUCKING MORNING?!" His flatmate all but screamed. Marching across to where the boy stood, he snatched the cigarette from his lips. "Gimme that," he snapped, holding it to his own mouth. Riku's hand shot out and cracked him on the back of the head.

"Fuck you, Xigbar." He returned the cigarette to where it belonged, pouring water into his coffee cup with his free hand.

"You coulda at least made me some coffee, you douchebag," Xigbar muttered as he collapsed into their sofa. He ran a hand through black hair, streaked through with grey, then lifted off his eyepatch and rubbed tenderly beneath the empty socket. Riku looked at him for a moment, then stuck a spoonful of sugar into the cup and thrust it at him.

"Fine, you whiny bastard. Take it."

Xigbar regarded him for a moment, eyebrows rising in surprise. "Uh, thanks. You been at my stash again or something?"

"Or something. I've seen what that shit does to the brain. Your brain, that is." Riku switched the kettle back on and flopped on the chair across from him, scowling as the movement popped one of the wooden slats out of place. "You just happen to look pretty pathetic this morning."

The other man flipped him off casually, then took a sip of his coffee, grimacing at the taste.

"Geh. I think someone switched our coffee with rat poison." Earning nothing but a slight narrowing of the eyes from Riku, he sighed and stretched. "Man, I had a weird-ass dream." His silver-haired companion made no reply, but got up to make himself a replacement coffee, as the kettle clicked off. Xigbar continued anyway. "I was watchin' these three kids skippin' across this bridge. One was a babe, but the other two..." He shook his head, chuckling. "One had bright pink hair. No lie. Bright. Fucking. Pink. And the other guy was a scrawny little emo. So, they were skipping across this bridge, and that teacher at your school, does the afterschool wrestling..."

"Xaldin." The boy replied, uninterested.

"Right. Him. He just popped up in the middle of this bridge, and grabbed all three of 'em, and shouted something about billy-goats."

Riku turned around to fix his roommate with the most skeptical expression he could manage, while a laugh threatened to burst out of him. "Dude. I think your dealer ripped you off again."

They both shared a grin then, and the mood in the kitchen settled into an amicable silence. Riku sipped at his coffee, letting out a sigh as the warmth and caffeine wormed their way through his bloodstream, and stubbing out his cigarette on a plate that lay waiting to be washed.

"Ew, don't do that."

He arched a silver eyebrow. "Since when did you give a damn about where I put my butts?"

"I couldn't give a damn about your butt," Xigbar replied, pausing to allow his words to sink in, "but that chicken was looking damned tasty until you got ash all over it." After another pause, he drawled out "damned fag."

"Ok, ok, I get it. Enough with the damned gay jokes already, you 'phobe."

Smirking a little, the taller man trudged into the kitchen, cup held loosely in his left hand. Bracing his right hand against the counter beside Riku, he leaned against him to deposit his cup in the sink. Sighing, the yonger man delivered a smack to his shoulder.

"Dude, get off. You're not my type."

Mock-pouting, Xigbar pulled back.

"You're so cold, baby."

"Oh, get fucked." Riku flipped him off, a scowl furrowing his brows. Usually, his flatmate's incessant teasing was a laugh, but tonight he was on edge, and everything grated against him like salt on open skin.

"You ok, man?" Xigbar's mood had sobered up. "You seem a little...You having those dreams again?"

Riku gave a cautious nod. He had never tried to keep the dream a secret. It would be hard, since he'd woken up screaming the first time. His friend reached out a hand, squeezing his shoulder lightly.

"Don't get me wrong, but maybe you should see a shrink or something. You're starting to look a bit like that crazy cousin of yours."

A chuckle broke free of Riku's lips.

"Thanks, Xig. You're all comfort and good advice." A pause, then he answered seriously, "I don't think it's anything wrong with my head. I don't have any deep-seated issues. It just feels like..." Struggling for the words, he let out a long sigh. "Ahh, I dunno." He turned tired eyes onto his friend. "Go back to bed, Xig. I'm gonna try and catch up on some rest before work tomorrow."

"'Night, buddy." The man shuffled his way back into his room, the door clicking shut beside him. Riku followed suit, tucking himself into bed and curling his arms around his pillow. But it was a long time until his eyes drifted closed and the line of tension across his shoulders eased.

* * *

Be kind, fellas. Or, girlies. Seriously, do any guys get the whole KH fanverse?


End file.
